Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Tax Deduction For Celiacs!


tonalynn

Recommended Posts

tonalynn Explorer

I'm not sure if this is the right board to post this on, but since it's tax season it's good to know!

 

I just discovered that certain items and costs related to celiac disease are TAX DEDUCTABLE! Isn't that awesome? I'm including a link from the Denver Celiac Support Group, with information on what you can deduct on your taxes. They are referencing IRS documentation, so I'm assuming this is for Federal tax filing. I'd check with your local tax office or accountant to make sure you can do this, but this is fantastic since gluten-free products are always more expensive!!

 

Open Original Shared Link

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



kareng Grand Master

I think you have to keep good records of the difference between the gluten version and the gluten-free version. So. - if a loaf of bread costs $3 and a loaf of gluten-free bread costs $6, you keep the receipt and some proof of the price of regular bread. Then $3 is your medical cost. And, your medical expenses have to be, I think, 10% of your AGI. I would have to eat a lot of bread for this to work for me.

I would read the tax guidelines very well and maybe consult a tax preparer.

 

 

 

Open Original Shared Link

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mbrookes Community Regular

I understand that you may also be asked to say what percent of the gluten free food is consumed by others who do not have Celiac. Sounds like too much trouble for a possible tiny deduction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GottaSki Mentor

I looked into the tax deduction my first year gluten free when our family's grocery bill skyrocketed...it was too much documentation then and I doubt it has become any easier in the past four years.  Over the years we have greatly reduced the quantity of labeled gluten free items as our diet migrated to less and less processed foods.  The only items consistently in our cart that are labeled gluten-free at this point are bread and pasta, the difference of which is not significant enough to qualify even if I wanted to keep records.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LauraTX Rising Star

I recently did our 2013 taxes and talked to our tax lady about taking this and other medical deductions for 2014, since I have a lot of medical costs.  Things to know:

-To take a medical deduction it needs to exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income.  I asked my tax preparer for a ballpark figure of what amount I would need to hit to see if it is even worth it.  We will be under but close and are going to keep records in case we do hit it..

- If the total of what you want to deduct is less than your standard deduction there is no point in doing itemized deductions.

-There is a lot of grey area and especially with a weird deduction like the gluten-free food stuff, you need to keep as accurate record of all your purchases as possible in case of an audit

 

The majority of people will not benefit from this deduction as it is unlikely to reach 10% of your AGI.  If you have a lot of other medical expenses or have a large family of gluten-free eaters and kids who get sick and rack up doctor bills, then this may be worth looking at.  One of the most common itemizations is property taxes and interest on a mortgage loan, if you don't own a house your 10%+ medical expenses may not add up with other things to surpass the amount of your standard deduction and it will not be worth itemizing.

 

 I am not an expert in this field so you should go to an experienced tax preparer (not someone who just took one course and fills out 1040EZ's for people at the place down the street) to do your 2013 taxes and get advice on what to do for 2014.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tonalynn Explorer

I understand this may not be information that everyone can use, I just thought I'd post it in case someone wanted to talk to their tax person about it. As much as I pay in taxes, and as much as I pay my accountant to DO my taxes, this may be worth a shot. It's just FYI

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Adalaide Mentor

If you're already itemizing and already making it to the medical deduction and are into keeping the records, it may be something that's for you. It isn't something that makes sense for most people, but for a few it can be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



IrishHeart Veteran

Good luck with that. My GI doc told me both people he wrote a medical note for were audited.

Sudden additions such as these are big red flags.

 

You have to have a huge amount in medical expenses, coupled with the cost of gluten-free food, and show the difference per item for every single

thing you buy. And if there are people in the home consuming the gluten-free items (sharing a pot of pasta for example), and they are NOT DXED celiacs, then you cannot deduct them

 

Believe me we all looked into it.

 

And I kept every stub and receipt during year one and by the time we added up the difference between the cost per ounce of gluten-free pasta vs. wheat pasta, etc etc....it was not worth it. We could have claimed practically NOTHING.

 

Unless you have major medical deductions, it will not make a dent. 

 

If you want to try it, go ahead, but the itemization of it...is absurd. Not worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LauraTX Rising Star

And if there are people in the home consuming the gluten-free items (sharing a pot of pasta for example), and they are NOT DXED celiacs, then you cannot deduct them

That is the main thing my husband I are looking into.  I am getting all my other medical stuff like mileage to my hour drive doctor appointments all together and then I am going to take one last look at the gluten-free medical deductions before I can it for the year.  I don't eat a whole lot of gluten-free substitutes- the most I buy Id say is pasta and cereal, but I use a fairly small amount still and some of those are consumed by two people when I make our meals which are all gluten-free.  So although I am saving all my receipts and such for now, I am fairly certain I will not do that deduction for 2014.  

 

Now, I do know of a few people that have a huge family that all are Dx'ed Celiac, and I am sure in cases like those this benefits them well.  I just don't want to get audited, so anything that may be in a gray area I toss that idea.  No fun owing money to the IRS.  One year when we first got married and our two incomes pushed us into the higher tax bracket we owed about 3 grand.  The advice I got from everyone I talked to was to get the money anywhere in any way so I don't owe the IRS, that it is better to owe anyone else instead, haha.  Luckily we didn't have to beg borrow and steal for it, we made it out okay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
MitziG Enthusiast

We did it the first year, but it only worked because we had huge medical bills that year from all of the Dr visits and testing involved with our dx, plus my gallbladder surgery and a hospitalization for both kids. It was tedious and I almost didn't do it because my accountant warned me it would likely trigger an audit. We did not get audited, but I still have my mountain of receipts, just in case. Since all three of us were dx at the same time, it was a big initial expense, especially since in the beginning we relied alot more on gluten-free processed items. Now that we have the hang of it, gluten-free flour and pasta are the only two specialty items I regularly buy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Scott Adams replied to Linedancegal's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      6

      25 year biopsy confirmed/ate pizza with no ill effects?

    2. - trents replied to djmu's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      7

      Peripheral Neuropathy

    3. - Tlbaked13 replied to djmu's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      7

      Peripheral Neuropathy

    4. - cristiana replied to djmu's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      7

      Peripheral Neuropathy

    5. - Tlbaked13 replied to djmu's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      7

      Peripheral Neuropathy


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,470
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Mimi of 4
    Newest Member
    Mimi of 4
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      The number of genes associated with celiac disease is more than two, but there are two main genes that are commonly tested for celiac disease susceptibility. These genes are HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. HLA-DQ2: The majority of individuals with celiac disease (about 90-95%) carry the HLA-DQ2 gene. HLA-DQ8: Around 5-10% of individuals with celiac disease have the HLA-DQ8 gene. Other Genes: While HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 are the primary genes associated with celiac disease, having these genes doesn't guarantee that someone will develop celiac disease. Additionally, a small percentage of individuals with celiac disease don't have either of these genes. This suggests that other genetic factors may also play a role, though they are less common. This article has more information about the genes associated with celiac disease:    
    • Scott Adams
      The whole point of the gluten-free diet is to send the disease into remission. For some this process means strong reactions when exposed to even trace amounts of gluten, while for others it seems they have little to no reactions when exposed to larger amounts of gluten. In either case, research has shown that repeated gluten exposure will trigger the autoimmune reaction that leads to inflammation and various damage, as well as to possible additional autoimmune diseases. 
    • JustGemi
      I just got two test results from bloodwork I recently did. According to my numbers, it's looking like Celiac disease but I cannot see my doctor until next month. Can this be true? My numbers are so elevated this is ALARMING! Tissue Transglutamine 120.9 Gliadin Antibody  IGA/IGC 62.1 Please shed some light on my numbers....  
    • trents
      Christiana makes a good point. Long term undiagnosed and untreated (by a gluten-free diet) celiac disease inevitibly results in vitamin and mineral deficiencies because of the damage done to the villous lining of the small bowel - the part of the intestines where essentially all nutrition is absorbed. Keep eating plenty of gluten until all testing for celiac disease is complete so as to render valid test results. Beginning a gluten-free diet ahead of time allows healing to take place and compromises testing. But if it turns out you are diagnosed as having celiac disease, you will want to begin high potency vitamin and mineral supplementation along with serious gluten free eating.
    • Tlbaked13
      Thank you guys for your input I am loving this forum more and more and it hasn't been a hour!
×
×
  • Create New...